CHART: U.S. Birth Rate Drops As Economy Falters

A new Pew report details a sharp decline in fertility rates across the United States that appears closely tied to the economic recession that hit the country in approximately 2007.

The correlation between a faltering economy and the national birth rate is nothing new. What is astounding, however, is that the birth rate for almost every state has dropped dramatically. In 2007, the country experienced a record number of births, 4,316,233. Since then, following one of the worst recessions the U.S. has ever seen, Pew's provisional data shows that the number of births in 2010 was just 4,007,000.

We took the numbers and displayed them on a national state-by-state graphic below. The figures represent the difference in each state's birth rate from 2007 to 2009. Because the data for 2010 was only provisional, it was not graphed. It, however, does continue with a similar trend. For a more detailed look at the data, go here.

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Igor Bobic is the assistant editor of Talking Points Memo, helping oversee the site's coverage of politics and policy in Washington. While originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor feels best at home on the beaches of Southern California. He can be reached at igor@talkingpointsmemo.com.